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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844107">Blackmail Doesn't Pay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skypan/pseuds/Skypan'>Skypan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Flight 29 Down</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Honestly this is my worst written one yet but its here so, Just a fun lil fic, The romance part is super lowkey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:22:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25844107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skypan/pseuds/Skypan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Eric knew he had an allergy to shellfish? He never had a reaction, Melissa never saved him, and he never stopped blackmailing her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cody Jackson/Melissa Wu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Blackmail Doesn't Pay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jackson watches as Melissa lugs more water to the fire pit. She looked… Exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t that Eric’s job?” He asked as she began to filter it.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah well…”</p><p> </p><p>“Melissa is just so generous, she offered to do mine as well,” Eric explains, appearing from no where. “She said she was bored doing just hers, right Mel?”</p><p> </p><p>Melissa looks up at Eric with what could only be called a glare. They had some sort of silent battle for a minute, then Mel turned to Jackson with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right. I just… Love lugging water,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>“There you have it, chief,” Eric said, grabbing a filled water bottle and walking away.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d better go get more…” Mel sighs, grabbing the empty water jugs and heading off again.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm…” Jackson watches her go, suspicious.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Jackson, can you come help me get some firewood?” Nathan said, coming over a few minutes later.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure,” he agreed, standing up and following the other boy towards the edge of the jungle. “Hey, have you noticed something weird going on with Melissa?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” Nathan asked, grabbing a few sticks for kindling as they go.</p><p> </p><p>“For some reason she’s doing Eric’s job AND her job. She looks really tired.”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, Mel is a hard worker,” Nathan shrugged. “Maybe she’s just helping out?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe…” Jackson said, letting the subject drop.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>Later that evening, Jackson is walking back towards camp for dinner (if you can call oysters and bananas dinner), when he hears a hushed conversation happening nearby.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to do this anymore!” That was definitely Mel. He moves closer to the sound, staying hidden behind a tree.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, okay, so I’ll just tell everyone your secret then,” That sounds like Eric.</p><p> </p><p>“No! Eric…”</p><p> </p><p>“You really don’t know how blackmail works, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>“You are so… ugh!”</p><p> </p><p>Eric cackles to himself for a moment, then it was all quiet. He peaked around the tree to see that both of them had gone.</p><p> </p><p>He frowns, continuing on to camp. <em>I have to fix this somehow. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next morning as everyone sat around eating breakfast, he watched Eric hand off yet another task to Melissa, while she was still working on her own.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s it,” he said. “Has anyone else noticed something weird going on with Eric and Melissa?”</p><p> </p><p>He watches Mel freeze as everyone turns to look at them.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” Daley asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It seems like she’s always doing his jobs,” Jackson points out.</p><p> </p><p>“I already told you chief, Mel’s just extra helpful,” Eric said, a tad nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s never extra helpful to ME,” Taylor said.</p><p> </p><p>“Or anyone else,” Jackson agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Melissa said quietly. “I’ll try to help out more.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, that’s not the point,” Jackson said with a frown. “Why are you always helping Eric in particular?”</p><p> </p><p>“N-no reason,” she stuttered out, looking down at her hands.</p><p> </p><p>“I might have an idea why,” he continues.</p><p> </p><p>“You do?” Mel squeaks out.</p><p> </p><p>“I think Eric has some dirt on you,” Jackson said. If overhearing the conversation yesterday wasn’t enough, the looks on their faces confirmed it.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that true, Mel?” Nathan asked. “Is Eric blackmailing you?”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone starts talking all at once, asking her questions as she tries to inch further back in her seat.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, yes!” she finally burst out, making them all go quiet. “Eric overheard my video diary a few days ago and he heard me say… Something embarrassing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Eric, you are such a rat,” Nathan said, glaring hard.</p><p> </p><p>“You seriously stink,” Lex agreed, crossing his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, its every man for himself out here! And I’d be happy to stop, if you all want to hear her secret,” Eric said smugly.</p><p> </p><p>“No!” Melissa exclaimed. “No, I’d rather just keep doing the work if I have to…”</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon, Mel, that’s not fair to you,” Jackson said. “It can’t be worth it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, how embarrassing could it be?” Daley agreed. “You should just tell us now, and take Eric’s power away completely.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t, its too embarrassing,” she said, putting her face in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>“More embarrassing than me wearing a skirt the other day?” Nathan nudged her shoulder, trying to make her smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Lex said thoughtfully. “If we all say a secret, it won’t seem so bad for Mel to do it!”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone seemed to consider this for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“I will if everyone else does,” Nathan said agreeably.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I have any embarrassing secrets, but I can try and come up with something,” Taylor brags, flipping her hair over one shoulder. Everyone else rolls their eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“You guys are ridiculous,” Eric fumed. “There’s no way she’ll do it. Trust me, I know what it is, she could never.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Daley stood up.</p><p> </p><p>“When I was in first grade, I peed my pants right before our class recital and I had to hide in the bathroom the whole time,” she said, trying to be brave, but it was obvious she was nervous.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment no one knows what to do, then someone starts clapping and suddenly they’re all cheering.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh man, I totally remember that,” Nathan chuckled. “It was hilarious.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay wise guy, let’s see you tell a secret then,” Daley quipped back.</p><p> </p><p>Nathan stands up and clears his throat. “I have seen the Notebook twelve times, and I have cried every single time.”</p><p> </p><p>This was met with more cheering and clapping (as well as a few laughs).</p><p> </p><p>Lex stands up next.</p><p> </p><p>“My first day of kindergarten I cried so hard that my mom had to come back and stay for the whole day. I still haven’t lived it down at school,” he said, making everyone aw.</p><p> </p><p>“I slept with a nightlight until I was thirteen,” Jackson said as he stood up. No one can quite believe he actually shared something willingly, but they clap and cheer for him.</p><p> </p><p>“My celebrity crush is Ryan Seacrest!” Taylor burst out suddenly, then clapped a hand over her mouth. This made everyone laugh, but the applause made her preen enough that she didn’t seem too embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone turns to look at Mel.</p><p> </p><p>She looks around awkwardly, watching their expectant and supportive faces. At some point Eric had stormed off in anger, so everyone had told a secret, and now they were waiting for her to do the same. More than that, they were waiting for her to take her power back, to free herself.  </p><p> </p><p>With a sigh, she stands up, covering her eyes with both hands.</p><p> </p><p>“I have a crush on Jackson!” She said quickly. For a moment no one did anything, then Lex started clapping for her, and then everyone was cheering again.</p><p> </p><p><em>She has a crush on me? </em>Jackson stood dumbstruck for a moment. <em>Don’t be weird, that was really brave. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>He made himself give her a half smile as he clapped along with the others.</p><p> </p><p>Melissa couldn’t help but laugh in relief as Nathan pats her on the back.</p><p> </p><p>Jackson decides to talk to her later, when all of the excitement has died down. Now is for friendship, laughter, and grilling Taylor about her Ryan Seacrest obsession.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(Later, they do have a conversation.</p><p> </p><p>It’s the serious stuff, all “we can’t date here” and “maybe I could give you a call?”</p><p> </p><p>But its also “why didn’t you just tell me?” and “you know if Eric pulls anything like that again, I’ll shut him up for you”.</p><p> </p><p>They hold hands for a while and its enough for now. Mel blushes in a way that Jackson finds endearing, and having something – someone – to hold onto is nice. He hasn’t had this in a while.</p><p> </p><p>It will tide them over. Until rescue comes, this will be enough.)</p><p> </p>
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